| Conditions or Reasons: | | 1)
The site is within the Green Belt and the development comprises inappropriate development within the Green Belt. Very special circumstances therefore need to be demonstrated to clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt and any other harm. The proposal would fail to preserve the openness of the Green Belt. The commencement and completion of the development in advance of obtaining any planning permission constitutes intentional unauthorised development which adds weight against the proposal. The Council can comfortably demonstrate a five-year supply of Gypsy and Traveller pitches. Notwithstanding the factors including a lack of alternative available sites and personal family and children circumstances put forward, these do not clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt, and other harms in respect of the flood risk, highways safety and adverse affect to the integrity of the Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC), so as to constitute very special circumstances to justify the grant of full planning permission. The proposal is therefore contrary to Section 13 (Protecting Green Belt land) of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), July 2021, Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS), August 2015, and Policy SP4 (Development in the Green Belt) of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015 - 2035, July 2021. |
| 2)
The proposed development is not in a Settlement Envelope, but is in open countryside and not in a location well connected to and accessible to nearby services and facilities by sustainable modes of transport. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policies SP7 (Windfall Development) and HQ1 (High Quality Development) of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015-2035, July 2021. |
| 3)
The proposed development would, by reason of its proximity lying within a 12.6km distance of the Ashridge Commons and Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within the Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC), add to the recreational disturbance in this area, and be likely to harm the integrity of the conservation purposes of the SAC. In the absence of an appropriate strategy to mitigate this harm, the proposal would be contrary to the Habitat Regulations, Section 15 (Conserving and enhancing the natural environment) of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), July 2021, and Policy EE3 (Nature Conservation) of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015 - 2035, July 2021. |
| 4)
The proposed development is unacceptable due to a lack of information / clarity on the proposed arrangements for surface water disposal on the site. The proposal therefore presents a flood risk and is contrary to Section 14 (Meeting the challenge of climate change, flooding and coastal change) of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), July 2021, and Policies H7 (Assessing Planning Applications for Gypsy and Traveller Sites) and CC5 (Flood Risk Management) of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015 - 2035, July 2021. |
| 5)
'The proposal, if permitted, would result in the increased use of an access which has inadequate driver/driver intervisibility and will lead to conditions of danger to all highway users'. The proposal would therefore be contrary to Policy T2 of the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015 - 2035, July 2021 and Section 9 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), July 2021. |
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